Universal Pasteurization Co., a Lincoln, Neb.-based provider of high-pressure processing (HPP) services, will host the first dedicated HPP Summit, scheduled for Oct. 3-5 at the University of Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Intended to be an annual event, the summit will focus on educating the food and beverage industry on the manufacturer, retailer and consumer benefits of HPP use, including food safety, dramatic shelf-life extension and enablement of cleaner label products.

The event will feature food and beverage industry veterans in food science, food safety, regulatory, marketing and retail, as they present the latest innovations in HPP applications and how to successfully develop, brand and launch HPP products.

Presenters and panelists consist of industry leaders from Evolution Fresh/Starbucks, Hormel and Subway as well as others to be named.

“We feel the time is right for a dedicated annual HPP event,” says Mark Duffy, chief executive officer of Universal Pasteurization and Universal Cold Storage LLC. “Because of its significant benefits, HPP has evolved to a mainstream technology in use across the ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meats industry, and has been the technology catalyst for the cold press juice industry. We also feel we are still in the early stages of the positive and sustainable benefits HPP enables. The HPP Summit will help educate attendees on the food safety and economic benefits of HPP, while also enabling faster HPP product time to market through networking connections made and resources identified. As the largest HPP service provider, we are privileged to serve the food and beverage industries by being the inaugural host of such an important event.”

In addition to presentations and panels, attendees will be able to participate in tours of the University of Nebraska’s Food Innovation Center, a new 178,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. Some of the services offered include pilot plant, product and process development, sensory analysis and other laboratory services. Summit attendees will also have the opportunity to tour Universal Pasteurization’s Lincoln, Neb., HPP center of excellence and the Universal Cold Storage facility, which provides vital pre-HPP and post-HPP value-added services.